The occupant compartment of a vehicle, more particularly an automobile, typically uses one or more lighting system to provide general lighting to the occupant compartment of the vehicle. This lighting enhances the visibility of areas within the occupant compartment that are not provided with their own lighting, such as areas occupied by occupants and their belongings, the center console and vehicle controls. The lighting system that provides general visibility to the occupant compartment is usually placed within the compartment such that the light it produces illuminates as much of the occupant compartment as possible, while taking up the least amount of space. One such lighting system, also called a “dome light”, is located near the center of the roof of the occupant compartment.
Automobiles can be equipped with transparent rectangular panels located near the center of the roof, commonly referred to as a “sunroof” or “moon roof”. As stated earlier, the center location of the roof is the preferable position for the dome light. When a vehicle has a sunroof, the dome light must be moved to a less favorable location or eliminated, thus, reducing or eliminating effective general illumination of the occupant compartment.
Therefore, it is desired to provide a system which will provide adequate illumination of the occupant compartment of vehicles equipped with sunroofs.